Ecclesiastes 2 - ESV - Bible Reading / Study Notes

Ecclesiastes 2

The Vanity of Self-Indulgence

2:1 I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself.” But behold, this also was vanity.¹ 2 I said of laughter, “It is mad,” and of pleasure, “What use is it?” 3 I searched with my heart how to cheer my body with wine—my heart still guiding me with wisdom—and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was good for the children of man to do under heaven during the few days of their life. 4 I made great works. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself. 5 I made myself gardens and parks, and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees. 6 I made myself pools from which to water the forest of growing trees. 7 I bought male and female slaves, and had slaves who were born in my house. I had also great possessions of herds and flocks, more than any who had been before me in Jerusalem. 8 I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I got singers, both men and women, and many concubines,² the delight of the sons of man.

9 So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me. 10 And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil. 11 Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.

The Vanity of Living Wisely

12 So I turned to consider wisdom and madness and folly. For what can the man do who comes after the king? Only what has already been done. 13 Then I saw that there is more gain in wisdom than in folly, as there is more gain in light than in darkness. 14 The wise person has his eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. And yet I perceived that the same event happens to all of them. 15 Then I said in my heart, “What happens to the fool will happen to me also. Why then have I been so very wise?” And I said in my heart that this also is vanity. 16 For of the wise as of the fool there is no enduring remembrance, seeing that in the days to come all will have been long forgotten. How the wise dies just like the fool! 17 So I hated life, because what is done under the sun was grievous to me, for all is vanity and a striving after wind.

The Vanity of Toil

18 I hated all my toil in which I toil under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to the man who will come after me, 19 and who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will be master of all for which I toiled and used my wisdom under the sun. This also is vanity. 20 So I turned about and gave my heart up to despair over all the toil of my labors under the sun, 21 because sometimes a person who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave everything to be enjoyed by someone who did not toil for it. This also is vanity and a great evil. 22 What has a man from all the toil and striving of heart with which he toils beneath the sun? 23 For all his days are full of sorrow, and his work is a vexation. Even in the night his heart does not rest. This also is vanity.

24 There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment³ in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God, 25 for apart from him⁴ who can eat or who can have enjoyment? 26 For to the one who pleases him God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he has given the business of gathering and collecting, only to give to one who pleases God. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.

Footnotes

[1] 2:1 The Hebrew term hebel can refer to a “vapor” or “mere breath”; also verses 11, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, 26 (see note on 1:2)
[2] 2:8 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain
[3] 2:24 Or and make his soul see good
[4] 2:25 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts apart from me

Commentary

v1-2: Hedonism and materialism, pleasure and mirth; "I thought in my heart," expressing selfish desires; he soon discovered such things to be worthless.

v3: Mixing wisdom and wine, trying to understand the way of the unbeliever.

v4-6: 'I made my works great, I planted and made.' Here are buildings and gardens, orchards of fruit trees; the writer surrounded himself with attractive things.

v7-8: 'I acquired and gathered for myself.' Here are servants and animals, silver and gold, instruments and singers.

v9-11: The previous verses describe the seeking and gathering of material things, apparently without limit, but without reference to God. Although his heart rejoiced, this was for a short time only, and this was all his reward. The vanity of the human heart is here exposed.

We notice a neglect of others; the psalmist speaks of the wise man who deals graciously and lends (Ps 112.5), of the blessed man who considers the poor (Ps 41.1), but such things are absent here.

v12-13: The truth that wisdom is preferred above folly; it seems that wisdom is light, but folly is darkness, for the fool walks in darkness.

v14-16: The reality of death, and wisdom appears to be useless, for all die, and the wise man is remembered no longer than the fool.

In the face of the certainty of death, there is regret and remorse, but no repentance. Without God, death makes life useless.

v17: The preacher's response, "I hated life." Such was his regret; but unless we see with truly spiritual eyes, we will share that regret.

v18-23: 'I hated all my labour,' bemoans the preacher, thinking that he was spending his life working for nothing.

v24-26: With God life is different, Matt 25.29; Heb 11.6; Job 27.13-17. There is a reward from God, and a life in God. We need to be those who please God. There is value in life, we find, that we should eat and drink, and enjoy the good in our labour; see also 3.12-13; 5.18-20; 8.15; 9.7-9; 11.8-9; the writer opens up a 'stream of hope.' Life is not so bad as he had first thought.